Charles F. Cone

Charles F. Cone was born in Oneida County, New York, on February 14, 1827. In 1841, he moved with his family to Little Fort, Illinois. He moved back to New York in 1844 and stayed there until 1853 when he relocated to Washington, D.C., to work as the assistant doorkeeper at the White House under President Franklin Pierce.¹ It is unclear how Cone received this position.² As assistant doorkeeper, Cone would have worked under Doorkeeper Edward McManus to manage the flow of visitors to the Executive Mansion, monitor the entrances and hallways, relay inquiries, and ensure order and security during public receptions. A newspaper article from 1856 claimed that in addition to his assistant doorkeeper responsibilities, Cone “also performs the duties of ‘messenger’ and ‘usher’ - triple-duty, which he executes with courtesy, intelligence and industry.” The article also explained that Cone’s days were long, with him usually on duty from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.³ Cone earned $1 per day while working at the White House.⁴ 

Despite the long hours and low pay, Cone seems to have enjoyed working for President Pierce. Varina Davis, the wife of then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, recalled that Cone told her President Pierce “gives me the compliments of the morning as grandly as he does General [Winfield] Scott.,” the highest ranking general in the U.S. Army. ”⁵ 

At the end of Pierce’s presidency in 1857, Cone ceased working at the White House. He then appears to have briefly moved to New Hampshire, for he married a woman named Annie C. Wood in Freedom, New Hampshire, on June 24, 1858.⁶ He may have moved there to continue working for Pierce, as that was the former president’s home state. However, Pierce and his wife soon left the state for several years to travel. Cone later moved back to Washington, D.C. where he found work as the principal messenger for the House of Representatives, a position he held for two years.⁷ 

Cone likely resumed work at the White House from 1861 through 1862, but in a different role. Cone’s obituary states he worked for President Abraham Lincoln for two years, and the 1861 official registry of federal government employees listed Cone as a laborer on the public grounds in Washington, D.C., which included the White House Grounds and Lafayette Park.⁸ That summer, Cone appeared on two receipts signed by White House Gardener John Watt for work performed on the White House Grounds and for a delivery of supplies with a horse and cart.⁹ The 1864 and 1865 D.C. City Directories list Cone as working for a company called J. Watt & Co., which suggests he worked for John Watt, former head gardener at the White House who by then ran his own gardening business and owned a greenhouse.¹⁰ 

While living in Washington, D.C., Cone was an active member of the Washington Lodge of the Free Masons. Soon after the Civil War, Cone moved to Idaho, where he remained until 1893 when he relocated to Waukegan, Illinois to receive medical treatment. He passed away on April 26, 1894 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Waukegan.¹¹